The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-09
CHIPErA,s REMARKABLE CAREER.
Once the Queen of the Ute Indians,
Now Hunted Souaw.
From the Den csT Republican.


From the DenrsT Republican.
Among the squaws accompanying Colo
row in his peripatetic journeyiDgs about the
White River country is Chipeta, the wife Of
the lamented Ouray. the late head chief of
the Ute Nation. The career OF this woman
is beyond anything yet written: even Feni-
more Cooper, In his description Of the ro-
nance OF aboriginal life falls far short of
anything like it in his character sketches
Following Ourayis election 70 the chieftain-
ship, the first official act he was called upon
to consider was the ACCESSIBILITY of aremoval
OF his tribe from the mountains of Colorado
10 Utah, and in connection with proposed
treaty between the United States and the
Ute Nation he was summoned to Wash
ingtOn On his trip he was accompanied by
his wife. Both he and Chipeta had in
measure adopted the dress of CIVILIZED life.
hey owned their own ranch, their herds
fed upon their own pastures, and in essen
tiais lived as white people and enjoyed the
comforts Of civilized life These facts pre-
ceded the chief and his consort to Washing
ton, and with all the romance of their wild
mountain life clinging about them, added to
the heritage of an ancient and warlike line
age, they were received with open arms by
the high social circles of the capital city.
Everywhere thew were feted and the
doors OF the mansions in the West End
swung inward at their approach.
Chipeta was idolized. She was clothed in
silks; her raiment was the fancy of the best
Eastern dressmakers, and the tawdry finery
associated with a life of savagery was con
spicuous by its absence. the illustrated
journals took the cue, and the wife of Ouray
became llbeled throughout the breadth of
the land by the pencils of special artists
She was the rage for the season she was in
Washington, and the epistolary correspond
ence from attaches of the English legation
to the court journals at London referred to
her as Mountain Princess, and bespoke
for her hearty reception from the peerage
Of England should she visit that country,
which she at that time actually cOntem-
plated. As souvenirs Of her visit TO Wash
ingtOn, Chipeta carried away with her
quantities Of silver plate, a portion of which
was presented to her by the government
through the Interior Department
Shortly after his visit to Washington and
the contamination OF the treaty Ouray died
He was sincerely mourned by his people,
and as an indication Of their grief, and in
conformity with lOng-established custom,
the horses Of the dead man were led up to
the grave and one by one shot All that
was valuable in earthly existence was to &C
company him TO the happy hunting ground
of his racial but Chipeta: and she, too,
would probably have accompanied her liege
lord had she lived couple of centuries ago
As it was, the custom Of her tribe, by the
greatness of her exalted position, con-
demned her to a life of perpetual widow
hood. Any deviation from this unwritten
law would draw down upon her head the
maledictions of the entire nation, and she
would become an outcast, pariah among
her people.
But Cnipeta had a will of her own. She
had tasted of the privileges which her eau
casian sisterhood enjoyed and when the OPP
portunity occurred to marry a handsome
buck she did so, not stopping to consider the
great fall thereby in the social scale. AS
might have been expected, the head men of
the nation, with unanimity and decision,
condemned both her and her husband to
ostracism. They had both violated sacred
law of social government and they must
suffer With her new alliance she turned
her back upon civilized life in every form
Her silks and satins were discarded, and
even her plate was melted down to make
gewgaws for her husbands friends. Her
stock was taken from her and reverse fol-
lowed reverse till she was absolutely forced
beyond the line of tribal kinship, and she
with her husband became wanderer.
This, doubtless was hurried by the I'M
fortunate mistake which she had made in
locating a ranch on the new reservation
1t was an excellent site There was plenty
OF water, ana buffalo, meSqult and gramma
grasses gave nourishment to the stock.
When the lines were made dividing Utah
from Colorado it was found that Chipetas
ranch was on the wrong side of the line,
and not in the reservation. 1t became,
therefore, legitimate plumber for the settlers,
who lost no time in dividing the spoil.
Like the renegade of her tribe, Chipeta in
her wanderings tended to the White River
country. There at least she would be well
coined and some respect paid to her fallen
greatness She and her husband joined
Colorow, and are now with him.
Chipeta is growing old. She must be in
the neighborhood of So Colorow was once
her enemy, as he was the enemy of the
peace-loving Ouray; but when her white
friends turned on her she sought straits in
life where she could find friends. IL is not
now believed that she entertains a warlike
spirit toward the whites, but. being with
Colorow, she is in bad company. Once the
queen of the nation, she is now leading the
ffa Of